Kejriwal's counsel Rishikesh Kumar and Neha Rastogi told Metropolitan Magistrate Harvinder Singh that Kejriwal has to attend a cabinet meeting and he would not be able to attend the court.

Allowing Kejriwal's plea for exemption, the court fixed 8 July as next date of hearing.

The court was hearing a defamation complaint filed by Bidhuri alleging that Kejriwal had made defamatory statements against him, terming him a criminal, in an interview to a private channel on 17 July last year.

Bidhuri told the court that Kejriwal's defamatory statements had maligned his image.